


Back to the Surface

by InRaosLight



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Cat did leave, F/F, I ignore so much canon, Pre-Relationship, So if you're wondering why I don't mention something I probably ignored it, but there's also canon elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28157151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InRaosLight/pseuds/InRaosLight
Summary: It's been too long since Cat left to dive, and Kara's decided it's time to do something about that.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Cat Grant
Comments: 7
Kudos: 75
Collections: Super Santa Femslash 2020





	Back to the Surface

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RoLo_Renegade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoLo_Renegade/gifts).



> For the prompt "Cat promised she'd be back. Kara's tired of waiting." Happy holidays, and hope you enjoy!

Kara’s just settling down to her dinner when her phone buzzes.

It’s not an uncommon occurrence, not since she put on the cape and came out as Supergirl. She gets called away at weird hours all the time these days. She just never likes it when it’s dinner time.

Still, she’s the one who decided to be a superhero, and not even a really awesome roast chicken dinner from the place down the street can outweigh her responsibilities. So she’ll just super-speed pop that in the fridge, then check her phone for the latest briefing. Hopefully, it’s something simple so she can get back to her meal soon.

So used to her phone only going off for emergencies, Kara doesn’t stop to consider it could be anything else. So when she unlocks the screen and sees a calendar reminder, she’s thrown. Especially since it’s on her personal, private calendar. Not her work or personal friends/family calendar. 

Pulling it up, Kara doesn’t register when her grip tightens on the case. Not until her hearing picks up the sound of stressed materials, thankfully before that stress turns to something worse. A few dents are common enough with her things, but a broken phone is just a hassle.

Loosening her fingers, Kara looks back down at the notification. She remembers setting it now, jokingly promising to hold Cat to her promise. She’d be back, Cat said. She was going to dive, but she wasn’t leaving for good. She’d promised.

And Kara’d smiled. Told her she’d better come back, and be safe while she was gone. Because as she’d learned to be Supergirl, Kara’d learned how to let people go. How to trust them to do what they need to do, even if it’s not something she can help with. And she’d seen in Cat’s face that this is something she’d needed to do.

But that doesn’t mean she’s going to forget the promise. 

Which is why she’d set a reminder on her phone. She’d carefully worked out exactly how long she’d known Cat, exactly how much time had passed since that first interview. And then she’d figured out what time it would be if that much time passed again.

Then she’d set the notification for a week before that.

Kara’s faced too many things she can’t change, over the years. She’s lived longer on Earth than she had on Krypton. Been a Danvers more than she’d been a Zor-El. Watched Kal-El fly off and leave her, even though he was the baby cousin she was supposed to protect. So many things she couldn’t control and couldn’t change, no matter how she wanted.

She refused to let this be the same.

She’d step back, let Cat go off without a fight. She didn’t have the right to demand otherwise, no matter how she felt about Cat. No matter how she thought Cat felt about her. They hadn’t ever acted on those feelings, hadn’t even discussed them. Emotions didn’t put a hold on someone. Might have beens aren’t a good reason to stick around.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t a good reason to go after someone. And if Kara’s wrong, and there was nothing between them, then so be it. Or if there was, but the time has passed, then that’s okay too. For all Kara’s optimism, she’s seen too much to ever fully set aside realism. Bury it beneath the hope that defines her, yes. But the core of it will always be with her.

So if nothing happens, then okay. At least she’ll have talked to Cat again, instead of passing one more milestone of “more time spent without than with” in her life.

She’ll have to plan, though. Can’t just show up unannounced these days. Not when Cat’s gotten into politics at the national level and can’t afford a silly mistake. Kara’ll have to be subtle about this. Patient (which is why she’d given herself a week). There’s an angle to find, and Kara’s going to find it.

***

Okay, so in the end, she’d had to ask Alex for help. She could still be patient. When she had to be. But she didn’t have the connections in Washington to ensure she could be subtle. Which is where Alex came in. 

Alex could find out Cat’s schedule, both formal and informal, with a quiet nod and a look that clearly said, “I hope you know what you’re doing,” even if she didn’t actually say anything. Probably not the most legal, but then again, who knows what counts as legal for the DEO. And it’s effective, which Kara appreciates given the time constraint.

Because after her days of trying to figure something out added to the time it took Alex to come through, Kara’s down to her last day. Her last two hours, as a matter of fact. She doesn’t have time to worry about what Alex might have done to get the information.

No, she has enough to worry about as she prepares to see Cat again after three years. In person, not on the TV screen as she berates a group of reporters who refuse to focus on the right things. Though, those briefings had kept Kara from missing her too much over the years. Enough that she’d almost forgotten about the timing.

“Kara?”

Her voice, Rao the TV hadn’t done it justice.

“Hi, Cat,” Kara says, wincing a little at the awkwardness. She’d never quite gotten to the point where she could use Cat’s name like that, not without the cape.

But she didn’t want to use the cape for this. For one, that attracted all kinds of attention. And two, she didn’t want to be Supergirl right now. She just wanted to be Kara. Hell, she’d even take Keira, if that’s what it took to see Cat again. She could handle that. But she doesn’t want to go into this thinking it’s more about what she can do that who she is. If there’s any ‘this’ to go into, of course.

Cat smiles and doesn’t say anything about the choice, so Kara relaxes a little. “So you’re the mystery dinner companion Olivia insisted I meet.”

Olivia. The president. Alex went to the president to get Cat’s schedule.

Well, that will melt Kara’s brain later for sure.

“You don’t mind, do you?” Kara can’t help asking as Cat sits, grateful for the dividing walls around the table. She’d known they’d need some privacy for dinner, if only to avoid any stories about Cat meeting with reporters from across the country. That’s not the kind of rumor either of them can afford.

“When have I ever stuck around for something I didn’t enjoy, or somewhere I didn’t want to be? Anything involving my mother does not count.” There’s a smirk on her face as she talks, and Kara can’t help studying it for a second too long before looking down with a slight flush.

“I know, but I wanted to be sure. It’s been a while.”

Three years, 2 months, 9 days, to be exact. Not that Kara would say that. Not yet, anyway.

Cat looks wary now, and Kara finds herself wishing the smirk was back. She doesn’t want Cat worried about what this is. She just wants them to enjoy a nice dinner. No pressure, no expectations, just once again in each other’s lives for at least a brief moment.

“It has, but I, well. I found new waters here in DC. An entire ocean, full of challenges and currents to navigate. No aquarium walls holding me back.”

Kara’s reassured that Cat remembers those old metaphors well enough to bring them up now. It’s a good sign, a hopeful sign. If she hasn’t forgotten those, does it mean she’s also thought of Kara over the years?

“I know, you’ve been amazing. That clip of you dressing down the Fox News reporter went around CatCo for weeks afterward. I think a full quarter of the staff expected you to show up and yell at them the same way.” It’d been a tough two weeks, seeing Cat around the office but not actually having her there.

The smirk is back, this time with a self-satisfied edge Kara knows well. “Oh, Kara. As if I’d ever hire someone so lacking in basic intelligence that I’d need to yell at them like that. Other reasons, perhaps. But CatCo would never hire the dregs of the reporting world that particular publication likes to call employees.”

The familiar teasing breaks the tension, just in time for a waiter to ask for their orders. Cat’s wine preference has changed, Kara notes. Something lighter, now. She wonders what else is different.

As he walks away, leaving them alone once more, Kara takes the opportunity to really study Cat. She’s been too nervous to do it so far, but they’ve found a bit of their old balance now. The familiarity built with long hours and deep conversations. This isn’t some stranger on a blind date; this is Cat.

And Cat is looking good. More settled than Kara’d ever seen her, though there’s a tiredness to her that speaks to long hours in DC. Politics is far more demanding than CatCo at times, and while Cat thrives on challenge, Kara knows her nights are probably shorter than they should be.

But overall, it’s a good change. This version of Cat is more approachable, somehow. Still just as biting, still the same woman capable of reducing a department to tears in three sentences, but not as rigid.

Maybe it helps that Kara’s changed too, learned more about the world and her place in it. They’re more equal now, for all Kara knows she will never match some of Cat’s achievements. That’s okay; she’ll make her own. Kara might never own an entire media empire, and that’s okay. Cat will never hold an entire city block above her head. It’s just who they are.

“So, Kara, do you like what you see?”

Caught unaware by the question, it takes Kara a moment to catch up. Half-formed denials and excuses form on her lips, but she can’t quite get them out. Not when Cat is giving her that knowing look, the same one she’d worn years ago when calling Kara out as Supergirl.

“Oh, please, as if I could miss the thorough once over. I doubt you’re scanning me for weapons, so what else is left, hm?”

“I feel like I should apologize,” is the first thing Kara can say, flushing with embarrassment.

The flush deepens when Cat smiles, a genuine smile that’s still edged with something Kara can’t quite describe. And while her brain might not have the words, her body isn’t shy about reacting. “Where’s the fun in that? Or are you telling me you didn’t notice me giving you a once-over of my own?

All Kara can do is shake her head, wondering how she’d missed that. Surely she wasn’t that nervous at the start of the meal, was she?

But as she replays the scenes in her head, thankful for her eidetic memory, Kara immediately notices details she’d missed before.

The way Cat stares as she walks up to the table, eyes dipping for a moment as Kara takes a deep breath in surprise. The way Cat’d trailed her fingers along Kara’s arm on the way to her seat. The subtle flick of her phone to silent, a treatment reserved for very few.

“You walked in here for a date,” Kara says after all that’s run through her mind. “Not just a catch-up dinner with an old employee.”

“If you think I cancel on the Secretary of State for an old employee, you’ve seriously misjudged my personality,” Cat teases.

Wishing she could stop blushing at some point in this dinner, Kara screws up all her superhero courage and leans forward to rest her hand over Cat’s. “Well, I’d much rather this be a date than a meeting, though I didn’t know you’d canceled on the Secretary of State when you set the time.”

“It was too important to wait. That much was made very clear.”

Alex again. Kara’s not sure whether to yell at or thank her sister once she’s back in National City, but it’ll probably be some combination of both. She’ll figure it out.

“I didn’t want to go longer without seeing you than I did seeing you,” Kara tries to explain.

Cat just looks confused, so she tries again. “You said you’d be back, so I waited. But tonight, in about an hour and a half, you’d have been gone for longer than the time I worked at CatCo. I’ve hit that milestone too often to hit it again on something I can change.”

That does it; Kara can see the moment Cat understands what she’s saying. “I really was going to come back, you know. I wanted to give you a chance to find your place and hopefully find one of my own. I’ve managed the second, but, well… I wasn’t ever quite sure how to tell if you’d done the same.”

The admission costs a lot; Kara can easily spot that much. And she knows that if it costs Cat that much, this means something. Cat doesn’t open up or put in that much effort when she isn’t sure. When she isn’t committed.

Knowing that this time Cat’s committed to whatever grows between them is a heady drink. The wine hasn’t done anything for Kara so far, but knowing Cat is interested was a shot to her system. Hearing that there was actual thought put into a potential relationship is another five all at once.

“I know better than to ask you to come back,” Kara promises. “You’ve found a calling here, I can tell. Washington doesn’t know what hit them.”

“I have, but I have a confession.” There’s a sly grin on Cat’s face now, and Kara has no idea what her next words will be. “When I put CatCo into a trust, I bought the plane outright. I have to declare it on all those ridiculous reports, but I own it. Which means I can travel back to National City whenever a moment frees up; I don’t have to wait for some germ-infested commercial flight.”

Recognizing the offer for what it is, a massive concession on Cat’s part, Kara abruptly decides she’s going to make a similar offer. This isn’t the best place for it, but a quick scan shows no one listening and no damning bugs anywhere nearby. She’s as safe as she can be, anywhere outside the walls of her own apartment.

“If you only have a moment of free time, maybe I can hitch a ride on a faster flight. A guaranteed germ-free, cross-country trip in under 15 minutes.”

“I will undoubtedly take you up on that offer, but too often will only make people talk,” Cat says immediately, completely unphased. Apparently, the shocked look on Kara’s face gives her away because Cat leans forward after a moment to tap Kara’s chin with a single finger. “Darling, I’m the press secretary. I’m one of Olivia’s oldest friends, and I have more dirt on every sitting member of Congress than the FBI and NSA combined. I have near top security clearance, and Olivia trusts me. You really think I didn’t know?”

“I- you- you didn’t say anything!” Kara protests, mind still struggling to catch up.

“Neither did you. I knew you’d tell me eventually, and unlike my second husband and his mistress, it wasn’t the kind of secret where I needed confirmation. I’m not always good at relationships, Kara, but I have enough practice to sort out the basics.”

There’s too much in that statement to unpack in a semi-crowded restaurant, so Kara lets it pass. For now.

Instead, she focuses on a single word from it. That, plus the comment about attracting attention, paints a very specific picture for Kara. She’s just not sure she’s seeing the right one.

“Relationship?”

“I don’t do half-measures,” Cat says, looking unconcerned. Kara knows better, can see the tension suddenly in her shoulders, but doesn’t comment on it. “From the way you flew across the country, on a commuter plane no less, tells me you don’t either.”

Quickly shaking her head, Kara tries to clarify. “No, I don’t. I want that, a relationship, I mean. I just, I didn’t let myself hope. I flew out here to make sure I didn’t miss out on having you in my life, even as a friend. So hearing you talk about a relationship, it’s a rush.”

The tension eases from Cat’s shoulders as Kara talks, and by the end she’s smiling. Not a sly smile or a teasing one, but the soft one Kara’s only seen a few times. Mostly aimed at Carter, though this one isn’t quite the same as that one. Just as soft, but still. Different. A good different.

“Why wait for a good thing?” It’s such a Cat Grant statement that Kara can’t help laughing, tossing her head back a little as she does.

When she refocuses on Cat, there’s a little heat to her stare, and Kara’s sure whatever she says next will cause the sparks between them to catch and burn.

And of course, that’s when their food arrives.

It’s enough to cool things back down, and Kara can’t deny she’s gotten a little hungry. She’d grabbed a pizza from a place a few blocks away before this, but she didn’t have time for a full meal. She always burns more energy when she’s nervous, and with her powers that means she needs to restock.

They talk about what changes now as they eat, making plans for the future in a way that leaves Kara breathless if she dwells on it for too long. There are no promises, of course. Everything is too new for that. But they’re two public figures, even if Cat will be dating Kara Danvers and not Supergirl. They need plans in place, just because of who they are.

How long they think they can hide from the press, to give a relationship a fighting chance to develop without that particular pressure. How often they’ll visit each other, whether it’s easier for Kara or Cat to make the trip without attracting attention. Who they trust enough to tell (so far, just Alex, Carter, and Olivia, though soon enough that’ll expand a little).

There’s plenty to discuss, but Kara makes sure they take time to catch up on each other’s lives over the past years. Little stories about what they’ve faced, things that challenged or changed them. Funny stories about the people in their lives.

Finally, dessert is over and done, and Kara stands. She’s suddenly nervous again, knows Cat can see it no matter how she tries to hide it.

“Walk me to my place?” Cat asks when they reach the door, jutting her chin down the block. “I’m only a few blocks away.”

“Of course.”

They walk in companionable silence, Kara wishing she dared pull Cat’s arm through her own. But that’s one of the things they discussed. No PDA until the story breaks, or it’s almost guaranteed to break before they’re ready. As it is, Kara keeps a careful eye out for cameras or anyone paying a little too much attention to them. If she spots anything, it’ll be a goodbye at the door. Not the ending to the date Kara’s hoping for.

Thankfully, she doesn’t see anything in the two blocks it takes to reach Cat’s house, so she’s quickly invited in.

Once inside, with the door safely barred behind them, Kara gives in to the desire she’s felt since she realized Cat wanted the meal to be a date. Stepping slowly forward and leaning down slowly, she keeps her eyes open and fixed on Cat’s until the other woman leans up to meet her halfway.

The kiss is sweeter than dessert and lasts nearly as long. Kara’s in no rush to see it end, and apparently, neither is Cat.

Eventually, though, they do break apart. “I’d say that was worth waiting for, but I’ve never been patient. Why didn’t we do that years ago?” Cat asks, still breathless.

“Something about needing to find our place?” Kara offers. “Diving and waters and something else.” She can’t quite think clearly, not when Cat is still pressed against her this tightly.

“I think we should take part of that advice again, don’t you?” 

When Kara looks confused, Cat deliberately drags her nails along the sides of Kara’s torso, putting just enough pressure behind the move to send sparks shooting through Kara’s body.

“Dive in, Kara.”

That’s enough for Kara to get the hint, and within seconds they’re upstairs, settling into Cat’s bed.

They’ve had years of taking it slow. Now they need to make up for lost time.


End file.
